About This PhD Project

Project Description

As part of its ambitious expansion plans, the University of Hull is pleased to announce the availability of 4 new PhD studentships within its flagship E.A. Milne Centre for Astrophysics; spanning the sub-atomic to the largest scales in the Universe, the successful candidates will enjoy a dynamic and collaborative research experience with the country’s newest astrophysics group.

This particular PhD studentship is geared towards the simulation of the production of the chemical elements within artificial supernovae, constructed as close as possible to the real supernovae that seeded the Universe with the chemical constituents out of which we are made.

Supernovae from massive stars were the first objects to contribute to the chemical evolution of stars and galaxies, producing elements fundamental for life, such as oxygen and iron. Due to their short lifetimes, they are also responsible for the chemical fingerprints observed in the Milky Way’s oldest stars – a subject referred to as “Galactic Archaeology”. These stars bear the fossil nucleosynthetic record of the first stellar generations, potentially even the signature of pollution from individual supernovae. The goal of this project is to produce supernova abundance yields from stellar evolutionary models, to compare with observations of the oldest stars of our Galaxy and those in neighbouring dwarf galaxies. This will demand the use of advanced numerical simulations and modern computing technologies.

Part of the project will be developed at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in New Mexico, in collaboration with the world leaders in the field of stellar simulations. Furthermore, the student will be engaged in the public outreach of the research done, and will represent her/his work and the University at international conferences.

The ideal candidate will already have a basic knowledge of Fortran and/or Python programming languages. Candidates would need to be keen to work in an interdisciplinary environment and interested in learning about relevant stellar physics, nuclear physics, and modern numerical simulations.

To apply for this post please click on the Apply button below.

In order to qualify for this scholarship you will require an undergraduate degree with at least a 2.1, or equivalent in a relevant subject. Full-time UK/EU PhD Scholarships will include fees at the ‘home/EU' student rate and maintenance (£14,057 in 2015/16) for three years, depending on satisfactory progress.

Full-time International Fee PhD Studentships will include full fees at the International student rate for three years, dependent on satisfactory progress.

PhD students at the University of Hull follow modules for research and transferable skills development and gain a Masters level Certificate, or Diploma, in Research Training, in addition to their research degree.

Successful applicants will be informed of the award as soon as possible and by 30th April 2016 at the latest.